Tonight the Packers face the Denver Broncos for Preaseason Game #2. As always, wins and losses are meaningless this time of year, and it’s all about individual position evaluations.
There’s a lot of discussion and debate going on as to who who will end up being on that starting defensive front minus Parsons, and who the starting 5 will utlimately be on the offensive line.
My eyes are still laser focused on the cornerback competition. The battle of the secondary starters has certainly been the talk of the town lately and will only continue heating up over the next couple of weeks.
Ultimately, Week 2 of the 2026 Preseason may shed some light on where the Packers can shed some dead weight.
I will not be including Javon Bullard in this discusion, as his Safety/Nickel Corner role is a roster lock at this point. Here’s a separate article I put out a couple weeks back specifically about Javon’s Training Camp performance.
Packers Love What They’re Seeing From CB Javon Bullard
Brandon Cisse Locked and Loaded
The other immediate roster lock and heir apparent to the CB1 role looks to be Brandon Cisse. The Packers used their first selection in the 2026 NFL Draft on the South Carolina cornerback, and his strong start to training camp has put him firmly in the conversation for a starting role. He has consistently run with the 1st team at training camp, and the consenus amongst the pundits is that “the moment doesn’t seem too big for him,” and that he “looks the part.”
Suffice it to say, the Packers are still trying to find the replacement for Jaire Alexander’s lockdown capability. Cisse has certainly shown his maturity and football IQ, not to mention a willingness to be physical.
Here’s some highlights from last week’s game courtesy of Eli Berkovits.
I expect to see Cisse out there in a limited fashion tonight, and I can’t wait to see if he throws down another rep for the highlight reels.
Keisean Nixon VS Carrington Valentine
The next logical 1×1 battle for the CB heirarchy would be between returning veterans Carrington Valentine and Keisean Nixon.
Valentine Returns To Practice
Carrington Valentine is back in the mix after dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him out of last week’s preseason opener. His return has immediately added another layer to the battle, having already been rotated in with the 1st team defense since returning.
Valentine brings speed and experience to a very young and thin defensive back room. However, he didn’t exactly have the season most had hoped for a year ago. Here’s how he finished up in the 2025 Cornerback Rankings according to PFF.
2025 Season Statistics & Performance
- Games Played: 17 regular season matches
- Combined Tackles: 25 (24 solo, 6 assists)
- Passes Defended: 4
- Passer Rating Allowed: 109.4 when targeted by opposing quarterbacks
- PFF Positional Rank: Top 39–44 range depending on the specific qualification metrics (61st percentile overall)
Valentine has also shown a reluctance to be physical, an unfortunate trend in recent years for the Packers secondary.
We all know what LaFleur had to say on this topic after last week…
I am hoping to see Valentine come out guns blazing in his first on field reps of 2026. I certainly see him on the final 53, but time will tell where he falls on the depth chart.
Keisean Nixon Being “Punished” With Competition?
Nixon’s grip on a starting role seems to weaken day after day. His poor performance a week ago has only the fanned the flames and turned up the heat from Packer fans and pundits alike.
Take a look at last week’s article where I gave a bit more detail on his ugly outing against the Steelers.
Packers Preseason: The Good, Bad and Ugly vs. Steelers
Nearly every day of Training Camp there seems to be a new clip or report of Nixon being torched on the field by opposing receiviers.
Nixon only made matters worse for himself while speaking with the media this week.
His response when being asked about competing for a starting role versus being locked in at CB1 was that he was being “punished”. LaFleur quickly downplayed the comments, basically saying iron sharpens iron.
Below is a video of Nixon’s comments as well as Matt’s rebuttal
For Nixon, tonight is an opportunity to show Green Bay why he was expected to be a starter entering the season. Again, I have been very clear on where I stand with Nixon’s ability, and I still say he belongs on special teams and in blitz packages.
Benjamin St. Juste Is The Wildcard
While the “logical” battle is between Nixon and Valentine. I still believe that St. Juste will eventually win out and play opposite Brandon Cisse in the starting role.
Here’s a great little hype reel courtesy of Packers.com
Here as well is Wes Hodkiewicz giving St. Juste some praise at the beginning of camp.
The competition between last year’s starters in Nixon and Valentine should be fun to watch. However, watching St. Juste come in as the 3rd contender & wildcard will be absolute cinema.
The Packers Remaining Depth
The depth drops pretty far after the above are taken out of the equation. That being said Jonathan Gannon has not been shy about having his corners flying around the field and getting after the quarterback on blitz packages.
Here’s a quick rundown of the rest of the players jockying for position.
Domani Jackson: A highly touted rookie out of Alabama selected by Green Bay in the 6th round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He features elite track speed but is working through a training camp injury.
Kamal Hadden: A 2024 6th round pick who returned from a severe ankle injury in early August 2026. He has recently emerged as a strong candidate for the backup slot/nickel job, and has received a good number of reps while Javon Bullard continues to rehab through a foot injury.
Shemar Bartholomew: A 2nd year corner who joined the Packers late in the 2025 season. He previously saw regular-season action with the Carolina Panthers, and has been showing a lot of promise as a special teams ace for new Special Teams Coordinator, Cam Achord.
MJ Devonshire Jr. : Originally a seventh-round draft pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024. The Packers claimed him off waivers from the Buffalo Bills in May 2026.
It should be a great night of competition across the board as the rookies fight for their spot on the final 53 man roster.
I’ll be keeping a close eye on the perimter tonight to see who makes the case to take over as Mayor of Strap City.
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